JFAC approves Idaho Transportation budgets, OKs $275 million general-fund transfer for highways

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a suite of budget motions for the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), including targeted maintenance funding, supplemental federal reimbursements for local transit, program reappropriations and a $275 million general-fund transfer to dedicated highway accounts.

The committee voted to approve separate motions covering: reappropriations and capital facilities funding for the Transportation Services Division; replacement and IT hardware funding for the Division of Motor Vehicles; supplemental federal reimbursements for local public transit and metropolitan planning organizations; multiple FY2026 enhancements and replacement-item requests for the Division of Highway Operations; and several large contract-construction and right-of-way appropriations. The committee also approved transferring $275,000,000 from the general fund to dedicated highway funds for safety, capacity and maintenance projects.

Why it matters: the approvals move hundreds of millions in state and federal dollars toward road construction, maintenance and local transit reimbursements and give ITD reappropriation authority for large projects. Several actions change how federal reimbursements will be administered to local jurisdictions and authorize reappropriations that allow ITD to carry funding into future fiscal years.

Brooke Dupree, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, summarized ITD’s packet and told the committee the request included “targeted CEC, deferred maintenance projects, funding to relocate the district 4 headquarters … new equipment, replacement equipment, and IT equipment,” and that the governor’s office recommended a $10,000,000 initiative for grants and equipment. The committee’s motions combined those line items into consolidated bill language and funding authorizations.

Representative Handy moved the Transportation Services Division motion that provided reappropriation authority and dedicated-fund increases (the motion recited a consolidated total of $38,090,600 from dedicated funds for reappropriation and program support). Senator Cook seconded the motion; Chairman Groh announced the committee would forward the item with a “do pass” recommendation after the roll was called. The recorded tally shows both houses’ majorities voting in the affirmative (Senate 10 ayes; House 9 ayes; one absence noted), and Chairman Groh said the item “will go forward with the due pass recommendation.”

Other ITD votes included: - Division of Motor Vehicles replacement/IT hardware: motion by Senator Cook, second by Representative Galvez; approved by the committee (majority of both houses voted in the affirmative). - Highway Operations supplemental and FY2026 package: representative motions approved funding for replacement items, automated materials software, public transit reimbursements and other enhancements; Representative Furness moved the FY2026 Highway Operations package; the Senate recorded 8 ayes, 2 nays on that package while the House recorded 9 ayes; the motion advanced with a do-pass recommendation. - Contract construction and right-of-way supplemental and project appropriation requests: Representative Handy moved a supplemental totaling $60,000,000 (state highway local and federal funds); motion approved by both houses. A related motion provided reappropriation authority (language capped reappropriation authority not to exceed $300,000,000) and was approved. - Transfer of $275,000,000 from the general fund to dedicated highway funds: Representative Furness moved the transfer, with the motion allocating $165,000,000 to the strategic initiatives program dedicated funds and $110,000,000 to the local highway distribution fund. The committee approved the transfer; the recorded roll shows the Senate registered 8 ayes and 2 nays and the House 9 ayes, yielding a combined majority in favor.

Committee members asked procedural and drafting questions during the session about a $100 reduction made in a small number of budget lines to reconcile language with a bill that had failed in the Senate earlier. Staff and parliamentarians explained the $100 adjustments were technical and would be rolled into a single bill that reflected the consolidated dollar amounts.

The committee approved a brief language change for the Aeronautics Program — by unanimous consent Senator Cook asked to accept the language shown on the screen and no objections were raised — and accepted several technical corrections to dedicated fund transfers and net-zero technical corrections across the ITD packages.

Ending: Chairman Groh urged members to support the budgets on the House and Senate floors so the legislature could adjourn, saying the committee would return only if houses “kill something.” The approved motions will be incorporated into the consolidated bill language sent to both floors for final consideration.

Votes at a glance - Transportation Services Division (reappropriations and capital facilities; consolidated dedicated funds $38,090,600): mover Representative Handy; second Senator Cook; Senate 10 ayes; House 9 ayes, 1 absent; outcome: approved (do pass). - Aeronautics program compliance language (unanimous consent): mover Senator Cook; outcome: accepted by unanimous consent (no recorded roll call objections). - Division of Motor Vehicles (replacement items $608,200; IT hardware $981,600; total additional $1,589,800): mover Senator Cook; second Representative Galvez; outcome: approved (majorities of both houses in affirmative). - Highway Operations supplemental (one-time $5,000,000 federal reimbursement to local public transit jurisdictions): mover Representative Galavese; second Senator Cook; outcome: approved (do pass). - Highway Operations MPO supplemental ($500,000 federal): mover Senator Cook; second Representative Gallivus; recorded: Senate 9 ayes, 1 nay; House 9 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent; outcome: approved. - FY2026 Highway Operations package (enhancements, replacement items, IT hardware; total $84,963,600 including federal funds): mover Representative Furness; second Senator Cook; recorded Senate 8 ayes, 2 nays; House 9 ayes; outcome: approved (do pass). - Contract Construction & Right-of-Way supplemental ($10,000,000 state local + $50,000,000 federal): mover Representative Handy; second Senator Cook; outcome: approved (do pass). - Contract Construction appropriation and reappropriation authority (additional $5,000,000 dedicated + $107,276,000 federal; reappropriation not to exceed $300,000,000): mover Representative Furness; second Senator Cook; outcome: approved (do pass). - General-fund transfer of $275,000,000 (to strategic initiatives and local highway distribution): mover Representative Furness; second Senator Cook; recorded Senate 8 ayes, 2 nays; House 9 ayes; outcome: approved (do pass).

(Reported tallies are taken from the committee roll calls recorded during the meeting and reflect the committee’s combined Senate/House roll calls.)